The Student

11/4/2011 12:00:00 AM

The school day no longer starts at eight and ends at three.
Today’s students are around-the-clock learners, requiring
individualized lessons, opportunities to create instead of
consume, and the freedom to work at their own pace, in their
own setting, with 24/7 access to their instructors. Districts
should oblige and support this new reality.

[The scenario]

Jerry Crisci,
Director of Technology,
Scarsdale Public
Schools, NY

At Tae Kwon Do District, every student has an electronic binder that they use to track
their academic progress, host their e-portfolio, and chart their growth. Teachers work
in teams, uploading individual and group projects for students to work on, and all
projects allow students to demonstrate such 21st-century skills as critical thinking, global
awareness, problem solving, environmental literacy, and seamless use of technology.
Of course, the projects also allow students to learn the core subjects, but instead of a
student taking language arts or algebra, the courses are interdisciplinary and students
gain writing, reading, and math skills by working on their projects.

Like any professional, these 21st-century students use technology to get their (school)
work done, choosing whichever tools are the most appropriate for the task at hand. They
can log on to Tae Kwon Do’s network (either within the school grounds or remotely, at
a Starbucks, the town library, or in their kitchen) to pull down any resources they need,
communicate with their teachers and peers, and get additional assistance.

[Executive Summary]

From Scarsdale (N.Y.) Public School’s
Education for the Future to Calcasieu
Parish (La.) Public Schools’ personalized
learning and iTEACH programs to the
booming online-learning initiative at
Los Angeles Unified School District,
SchoolCIO Summit attendees are
turning their schools into the types of
dynamic places that today’s 21st-century
students require.

Sheryl Abshire, CTO,
Calcasieu Parish Public

Schools, LA

Richard Valerga, Chief Information Officer,
Memphis City Schools, TN

Since 2008, Scarsdale teachers have
focused not on testing but on creating a
love of learning. They’ve helped foster
responsible citizenship (online and off) by
participating in interdisciplinary teaching
about global issues, such as sustainability.
All seventh-grade students learn about
literacy in information, media, and
technology by creating PSAs as part of
the Middle School Empathy Project.
The Kindergarten Dance Program,
K–5 inquiry research initiative, fifthgrade
Capstone technology and research
project, and grade 12 global-citizenship project all include elements of
authentic problem solving, creativity, and critical thinking.

Calcasieu Parish has been an online district for 15 years. E-learning
spiked during Hurricane Katrina, when this devastated community
had no downtime in learning. Students were scattered throughout the
country but could go online and keep up with their classes. The district’s
iTEACH model—in which teachers in model classrooms filled with iPads
build their own curricula and teach others—is another way that these
21st-century teachers reach students where they live.

And in Los Angeles, more than 22,000 students took an online course
last year; 8,000 took more than one online course. The district uses
various products to deliver these courses, including Moodle, homegrown
offerings, Apex Learning, ALVS, and e2020. The reason for the variety
of products is to serve the very different needs of today’s unique students.

What
They
Said

“We have all the key ingredients in place
to transform education in our district—
strong teachers and administrators, a
visionary school board, and a community
that values its schools. The challenge
is figuring out what schools will look
like in 10 years and determining how we
can prepare students to solve complex
problems that don’t have easy answers.”—Jerry Crisci, director of technology,
Scarsdale Public Schools, NY

“You have to have a 21st-century staff
first. We must retool the profession
to deliver 21st-century educators.
We’re working with Louisiana State
University to change the curriculum
and requirements so that teacher
candidates learn how to truly integrate
technology while in ed school.”—Sheryl Abshire, chief technology officer,
Calcasieu Parish Public Schools, LA

“The current educational paradigm
is heavily influenced by the learning
experiences we had as students, but
we want to look at the new context of
the present learning landscape and ask
‘What are we doing to teach our kids how
to learn?’ Our Forward Learning plan
will move beyond the rote and toward
the skills necessary to be successful
in our changing world. We will focus
on critical thinking, problem solving,
collaboration, creativity, written and
oral communication, and technology,
along with building a solid foundation of
general knowledge.”—Art Fessler, superintendent; Ben Grey,
chief information officer, Oak Lawn–
Hometown 123, Oak Lawn, IL

Working
Group
Take-
Aways

Questions
for Teaching
today’s 21st
Century
Student

• Is there a difference between
“critical thinking” and
“creative thinking?”
• Is there a difference between
“creative thinking” and
“creativity?”
• Is artistic creativity the same as creativity in
other situations?
• Can creativity be taught?

* SOURCE Jerry Crisci, Scarsdale Public Schools

Find more take-aways from the School CIO
summit in the program vault under
schoolcio.com (click on “Events”).